| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct 13 | 3 | 3-0 | 801.5 | 14 | |
| 2 | Oct 20 | 4 | 4-0 | 758 | 7 | |
| 3 | Oct 27 | 4 | 5-0 | 702 | 5 | |
| 4 | Nov 3 | 4 | 6-0 | 740 | 7 | |
| 5 | Nov 10 | 3 | 7-0 | 844 | 11 | |
| 6 | Nov 17 | 3 | 8-0 | 941 | 12 | |
| 7 | Nov 24 | 3 | 9-0 | 912 | 15 | |
| Final | Dec 1 | 2 | 9-0 | 725.5 | 9.5 |
Note: Duke's ranking in the final 1961 poll has been changed to unranked after the original AP wire story and poll was revisited and confirmed across several newspapers.