| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | CP | CFP | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 8 | RV | 7 | 0 | RV | -- | W 45-24 at California | |
| 2 | Sep 13 | RV | 9 | 0 | RV | -- | W 28-10 vs San Diego State | |
| 3 | Sep 20 | RV | 10 | 0 | RV | -- | W 52-38 vs Purdue | |
| 4 | Sep 27 | 23 | 4-0 | 218 | 0 | 23 | -- | W 54-3 at Maryland |
| 5 | Oct 4 | 21 | 4-0 | 288 | 0 | 22 | -- | DNP |
| 6 | Oct 11 | 12 | 5-0 | 951 | 0 | 12 | -- | W 17-15 at #13 Oregon |
Note: UCLA'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.