| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | CP | CFP | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre | Aug 24 | 7 | 0-0 | 1147 | 0 | 7 | -- | DNP |
| 1 | Sep 13 | NR | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | NR | -- | DNP |
| 2 | Sep 20 | NR | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | -- | DNP |
| 3 | Sep 27 | 10 | 0-0 | 840 | 0 | 10 | -- | DNP |
| 4 | Oct 4 | 9 | 0-0 | 935 | 0 | 8 | -- | DNP |
| 5 | Oct 11 | 9 | 0-0 | 970 | 0 | 8 | -- | DNP |
| 6 | Oct 18 | 8 | 0-0 | 1033 | 0 | 7 | -- | DNP |
| 7 | Oct 25 | 18 | 0-1 | 443 | 0 | 17 | -- | L 36-35 (1OT) at Indiana |
| 8 | Nov 1 | RV | 0-2 | 87 | 0 | RV | -- | L 38-25 vs #3 Ohio State |
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.