| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | CP | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Oct 20 | 22 | 5-1 | 304 | 0 | ||
| 10 | Oct 27 | 18 | 6-1 | 522 | 0 | ||
| 11 | Nov 3 | 23 | 6-2 | 255 | 0 | L 35-17 at #15 Iowa | |
| 12 | Nov 10 | 19 | 7-2 | 404 | 0 | ||
| 13 | Nov 17 | 23 | 7-3 | 185 | 0 | ||
| 14 | Nov 24 | 18 | 8-3 | 473 | 0 | ||
| 15 | Dec 1 | 18 | 8-3 | 551 | 0 | ||
| 16 | Dec 8 | 17 | 8-3 | 578 | 0 | ||
| Final | Jan 3 | 15 | 9-3 | 715 | 0 | W 33-20 vs #24 Oklahoma State (Alamo) |
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.