| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct 4 | 5 | 3-0 | 575 | 4 | |
| 2 | Oct 11 | 6 | 3-1 | 370 | 0 | |
| 3 | Oct 18 | 9 | 4-1 | 291.5 | 0 | |
| 4 | Oct 25 | 8 | 4-1 | 229 | 0 | |
| 5 | Nov 1 | 9 | 5-1 | 187 | 0 | |
| 6 | Nov 8 | 7 | 6-1 | 308 | 0 | |
| 7 | Nov 15 | 6 | 7-1 | 372 | 1 | |
| 8 | Nov 22 | 5 | 8-1 | 500 | 2 | |
| Final | Nov 29 | 7 | 8-1 | 522 | 7 |
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.