| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | CP | BCS | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Oct 28 | 19 | 7-2 | 459 | 0 | NR | ||
| 10 | Nov 4 | 18 | 7-2 | 588 | 0 | NR | ||
| 11 | Nov 11 | 14 | 8-2 | 843 | 0 | 15 | ||
| 12 | Nov 18 | 22 | 8-3 | 272 | 0 | NR | ||
| 13 | Nov 25 | 18 | 9-3 | 528 | 0 | NR | ||
| 14 | Dec 2 | 18 | 9-3 | 546 | 0 | NR | ||
| 15 | Dec 9 | 18 | 9-3 | 523 | 0 | NR | ||
| Final | Jan 4 | 14 | 10-3 | 856 | 0 | -- | W 26-3 vs Kansas State (Insight) |
Note: Syracuse'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.