| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct 4 | 10 | 1-0 | 305 | 2 | |
| 2 | Oct 11 | 9 | 2-0 | 342 | 1 | |
| 3 | Oct 18 | 8 | 3-0 | 411 | 1 | |
| 4 | Oct 25 | 12 | 3-0-1 | 176 | 1 | |
| 5 | Nov 1 | 14 | 4-0-1 | 136 | 1 | |
| 6 | Nov 8 | 5 | 5-0-1 | 840 | 1 | |
| 7 | Nov 15 | 6 | 6-0-1 | 883 | 3 | |
| 8 | Nov 22 | 18 | 6-1-1 | 36 | 0 | |
| Final | Nov 29 | 18 | 7-1-1 | 87 | 0 |
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.