| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct 17 | 9 | 4-0 | 128 | 0 | |
| 2 | Oct 24 | 11 | 5-0 | 114 | 0 | |
| 3 | Oct 31 | 9 | 6-0 | 274 | 0 | |
| 4 | Nov 7 | 7 | 6-0 | 389 | 0 | |
| 5 | Nov 14 | 4 | 7-0 | 586 | 5 | |
| 6 | Nov 21 | 3 | 8-0 | 553 | 3 | |
| 7 | Nov 28 | 3 | 9-0 | 733 | 15 | |
| Final | Dec 5 | 3 | 9-0 | 679 | 11 |
Note: Duke'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.