| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct 19 | 2 | 5-0 | 187 | 1 | W 19-6 vs Georgia Tech |
| 2 | Oct 26 | 13 | 5-1 | 43 | 0 | |
| 3 | Nov 2 | 15 | 6-1 | 10 | 0 | |
| 4 | Nov 9 | 13 | 7-1 | 13 | 0 | |
| 5 | Nov 16 | 16 | 8-1 | 6 | 0 | |
| 6 | Nov 23 | 11 | 8-1 | 44 | 0 | |
| Final | Nov 30 | 11 | 9-1 | 33 | 0 |
Note: Duke'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.