| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct 6 | 12 | 2-0 | 102 | 1 | |
| 2 | Oct 13 | 9 | 3-0 | 226 | 0 | |
| 3 | Oct 20 | 9 | 4-0 | 324 | 1 | |
| 4 | Oct 27 | 7 | 5-0 | 632 | 2 | |
| 5 | Nov 3 | 7 | 6-0 | 701 | 2 | |
| 6 | Nov 10 | 8 | 7-0 | 539 | 3 | |
| 7 | Nov 17 | 5 | 8-0 | 1371 | 6 | |
| 8 | Nov 24 | 5 | 9-0 | 1109 | 1 | |
| 9 | Dec 1 | 5 | 9-0 | 651 | 0 | DNP |
| Final | Dec 8 | 4 | 9-0 | 853 | 1 |
Note: Penn State'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.