| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | CP | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Oct 6 | 17 | 5-0 | 193 | 0 | ||
| 6 | Oct 13 | 13 | 5-0 | 421 | 0 | ||
| 7 | Oct 20 | 9 | 6-0 | 722 | 0 | ||
| 8 | Oct 27 | 8 | 7-0 | 774 | 0 | ||
| 9 | Nov 3 | 8 | 8-0 | 798 | 0 | ||
| 10 | Nov 10 | 6 | 9-0 | 902 | 0 | ||
| 11 | Nov 17 | 6 | 10-0 | 894 | 0 | ||
| 12 | Nov 24 | 4 | 11-0 | 983 | 1 | ||
| 13 | Dec 1 | 4 | 11-0 | 914 | 1 | ||
| 14 | Dec 8 | 4 | 11-0 | 955 | 1 | ||
| Final | Jan 3 | 4 | 11-0-1 | 966 | 0 |
Note: Syracuse'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.