| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | CP | CFP | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre | Aug 21 | 6 | 0-0 | 1196 | 0 | 6 | -- | DNP |
| 1 | Sep 5 | 4 | 1-0 | 1303 | 0 | 4 | -- | W 52-0 vs Akron |
| 2 | Sep 10 | 5 | 2-0 | 1299 | 0 | 5 | -- | W 33-14 vs Pittsburgh |
| 3 | Sep 17 | 4 | 3-0 | 1306 | 0 | 4 | -- | W 56-0 vs Georgia State |
| 4 | Sep 24 | 4 | 4-0 | 1304 | 0 | 4 | -- | W 21-19 at Iowa |
| 5 | Oct 1 | 4 | 5-0 | 1325 | 0 | 4 | -- | W 45-14 vs Indiana |
| 6 | Oct 8 | 3 | 6-0 | 1370 | 0 | 3 | -- | W 31-7 at Northwestern |
| 7 | Oct 15 | 2 | 6-0 | 1432 | 0 | 2 | -- | DNP |
| 8 | Oct 22 | 2 | 7-0 | 1444 | 0 | 2 | -- | W 42-13 vs #19 Michigan |
| 9 | Oct 29 | 7 | 7-1 | 1189 | 0 | 7 | 7 | L 39-38 at #6 Ohio State |
| 10 | Nov 5 | 16 | 7-2 | 717 | 0 | 13 | 14 | L 27-24 at #24 Michigan State |
| 11 | Nov 12 | 13 | 8-2 | 818 | 0 | 11 | 10 | W 35-6 vs Rutgers |
| 12 | Nov 19 | 12 | 9-2 | 888 | 0 | 11 | 10 | W 56-44 vs Nebraska |
| 13 | Nov 26 | 9 | 10-2 | 960 | 0 | 10 | 9 | W 66-3 at Maryland |
| 14 | Dec 3 | 9 | 10-2 | 1008 | 0 | 9 | 9 | DNP |
| Final | Jan 9 | 8 | 11-2 | 1120 | 0 | 8 | -- | W 35-28 vs #12 Washington (Fiesta) |
Note: Penn State'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.