| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | CP | CFP | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre | Aug 11 | 2 | 0-0 | 1547 | 23 | 3 | -- | DNP |
| 1 | Sep 2 | 2 | 1-0 | 1558 | 7 | 2 | -- | W 46-11 vs Nevada |
| 2 | Sep 7 | 2 | 2-0 | 1524 | 5 | 2 | -- | W 34-0 vs Florida International |
| 3 | Sep 14 | 2 | 3-0 | 1490 | 5 | 2 | -- | W 52-6 vs Villanova |
| 4 | Sep 21 | 3 | 3-0 | 1460 | 5 | 2 | -- | DNP |
| 5 | Sep 28 | 7 | 3-1 | 1179 | 0 | 6 | -- | L 30-24 (2OT) vs #6 Oregon |
| 6 | Oct 5 | RV | 97 | 0 | 22 | -- | L 42-37 at UCLA | |
| 13 | Nov 23 | NR | 5-6 | 0 | 0 | RV | NR | W 37-10 vs Nebraska |
| 14 | Nov 30 | NR | 6-6 | 0 | 0 | RV | NR | W 40-36 at Rutgers |
| 15 | Dec 7 | NR | 6-6 | 0 | 0 | RV | NR | DNP |
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.