| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | CP | BCS | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre | Aug 21 | 19 | 0-0 | 382 | 0 | 14 | -- | DNP |
| 1 | Sep 7 | 18 | 1-0 | 418 | 0 | 14 | -- | W 44-14 vs Youngstown State |
| 2 | Sep 12 | 22 | 1-1 | 171 | 0 | 20 | -- | L 24-3 at #1 Alabama |
| 3 | Sep 19 | 23 | 2-1 | 198 | 0 | 20 | -- | W 24-0 vs Kent State |
| 4 | Sep 26 | 22 | 3-1 | 197 | 0 | 20 | -- | W 22-13 vs Temple |
| 5 | Oct 3 | RV | 3-2 | 1 | 0 | RV | -- | L 24-3 at #17 Iowa |
| 10 | Nov 7 | RV | 6-3 | 29 | 0 | RV | NR | W 35-21 vs Northwestern |
| 11 | Nov 14 | NR | 6-4 | 0 | 0 | RV | NR | L 38-14 at #8 Ohio State |
| 12 | Nov 21 | RV | 7-4 | 2 | 0 | RV | NR | W 41-24 at Indiana |
Note: Penn State'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.