| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | CP | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Oct 20 | 21 | 3-2-1 | 316 | 0 | W 21-6 at Stanford | |
| 9 | Oct 27 | 17 | 4-2-1 | 547 | 0 | W 24-17 at California | |
| 10 | Nov 3 | 12 | 5-2-1 | 767 | 0 | W 30-0 vs New Mexico State | |
| 11 | Nov 10 | 9 | 6-2-1 | 1074 | 0 | W 16-3 vs Washington | |
| 12 | Nov 17 | 16 | 6-3-1 | 639 | 0 | L 14-7 at USC | |
| 13 | Nov 24 | 23 | 6-4-1 | 257 | 0 | L 7-6 vs Arizona State | |
| 14 | Dec 1 | 22 | 6-4-1 | 230 | 0 | DNP | |
| 15 | Dec 8 | 22 | 6-4-1 | 221 | 0 | DNP | |
| Final | Jan 2 | NR | 0 | 0 | L 20-15 vs Baylor (Sun) |
Note: Arizona'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.