| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct 8 | 15 | 3-0 | 41 | 0 | |
| 2 | Oct 15 | 9 | 4-0 | 184 | 0 | |
| 3 | Oct 22 | 4 | 5-0 | 702 | 0 | |
| 4 | Oct 29 | 13 | 5-1 | 85 | 0 | |
| 5 | Nov 5 | 12 | 6-1 | 99 | 0 | |
| 6 | Nov 12 | 11 | 7-1 | 81 | 0 | |
| 7 | Nov 19 | 18 | 7-2 | 20 | 0 | |
| 8 | Nov 26 | NR | 0 | 0 |
Note: Purdue'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.