| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | CP | BCS | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Oct 10 | NR | 4-1 | 0 | 0 | NR | -- | W 13-9 at South Florida |
| 8 | Oct 24 | RV | 5-2 | 8 | 0 | RV | NR | W 19-14 at #20 West Virginia |
| 9 | Oct 31 | RV | 6-2 | 22 | 0 | RV | NR | W 31-7 at Cincinnati |
| 10 | Nov 7 | RV | 6-3 | 2 | 0 | NR | NR | L 28-20 vs Louisville |
| 11 | Nov 14 | RV | 7-3 | 2 | 0 | RV | NR | W 13-10 at Rutgers |
| 12 | Nov 21 | NR | 7-4 | 0 | 0 | NR | NR | L 23-6 vs Connecticut |
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.