| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | CP | CFP | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre | Aug 21 | 16 | 0-0 | 496 | 0 | 24 | -- | DNP |
| 1 | Sep 6 | RV | 0-1 | 62 | 0 | RV | -- | L 31-24 (1OT) at Texas A&M |
| 2 | Sep 11 | RV | 1-1 | 47 | 0 | RV | -- | W 42-21 vs UNLV |
| 3 | Sep 18 | RV | 2-1 | 74 | 0 | RV | -- | W 17-14 at BYU |
| 4 | Sep 25 | RV | 2-2 | 22 | 0 | RV | -- | L 22-13 vs #7 Stanford |
| 5 | Oct 2 | RV | 3-2 | 56 | 0 | RV | -- | W 45-24 vs Arizona |
Note: UCLA'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.