| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | CP | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre | Aug 25 | 10 | 0-0 | 949 | 0 | DNP | |
| 1 | Sep 1 | 10 | 0-0 | 957 | 0 | DNP | |
| 2 | Sep 8 | 9 | 1-0 | 1061 | 0 | ||
| 3 | Sep 15 | 8 | 2-0 | 1126 | 0 | ||
| 4 | Sep 22 | 17 | 2-1 | 574 | 0 | ||
| 5 | Sep 29 | 17 | 2-1 | 553 | 0 | ||
| 6 | Oct 6 | 15 | 3-1 | 590 | 0 | ||
| 7 | Oct 13 | 14 | 4-1 | 725 | 0 | ||
| 8 | Oct 20 | 12 | 5-1 | 881 | 0 | ||
| 9 | Oct 27 | 12 | 6-1 | 886 | 0 | ||
| 10 | Nov 3 | 10 | 7-1 | 1013 | 0 | ||
| 11 | Nov 10 | 10 | 8-1 | 1033 | 0 | ||
| 12 | Nov 17 | 8 | 9-1 | 1156 | 0 | ||
| 13 | Nov 24 | 8 | 9-2 | 1077 | 0 | ||
| 14 | Dec 1 | 6 | 9-2 | 1151 | 0 | ||
| 15 | Dec 8 | 6 | 9-2 | 1174 | 0 | ||
| Final | Jan 2 | 6 | 10-2 | 1209 | 0 | W 26-22 vs #10 Colorado (Fiesta) |
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.