| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | CP | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Nov 14 | 25 | 7-3 | 114 | 0 | ||
| 12 | Nov 21 | 23 | 8-3 | 231 | 0 | ||
| 13 | Nov 28 | 20 | 8-3 | 301 | 0 | ||
| 14 | Dec 5 | 20 | 8-3 | 330 | 0 | ||
| 15 | Dec 12 | 20 | 8-3 | 303 | 0 | ||
| Final | Jan 2 | NR | 0 | 0 | L 49-21 vs #24 Texas Tech (All-American) |
Note: Duke'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.