| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | CP | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Oct 16 | 19 | 4-1 | 189 | 0 | ||
| 7 | Oct 23 | 17 | 5-1 | 266 | 0 | ||
| 8 | Oct 30 | 14 | 6-1 | 452 | 0 | ||
| 9 | Nov 6 | 12 | 7-1 | 538 | 0 | ||
| 10 | Nov 13 | 15 | 7-1-1 | 406 | 0 | ||
| 11 | Nov 20 | 18 | 7-2-1 | 179 | 0 | ||
| 12 | Nov 27 | 17 | 8-2-1 | 297 | 0 | ||
| 13 | Dec 4 | 17 | 8-2-1 | 256 | 0 | ||
| Final | Jan 2 | 13 | 9-2-1 | 493 | 0 |
Note: Purdue'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.