| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | CP | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 14 | 6 | 1-0 | 480 | 0 | ||
| 2 | Sep 21 | NR | 0 | 0 | L 31-6 vs Illinois | ||
| 3 | Sep 28 | 12 | 2-1 | 222 | 0 | W 46-25 at #8 USC | |
| 4 | Oct 5 | 9 | 3-1 | 389 | 0 | ||
| 5 | Oct 12 | 7 | 4-1 | 485 | 0 | ||
| 6 | Oct 19 | 17 | 4-2 | 40 | 0 | ||
| 7 | Oct 26 | 10 | 5-2 | 293 | 0 | ||
| 8 | Nov 2 | 16 | 5-3 | 31 | 0 | ||
| 9 | Nov 9 | 11 | 6-3 | 218 | 0 | ||
| 10 | Nov 16 | 19 | 6-4 | 26 | 0 | ||
| 11 | Nov 23 | NR | 0 | 0 |
Note: Missouri'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.