| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | CP | BCS | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre | Aug 18 | NR | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | RV | -- | DNP |
| 1 | Sep 4 | NR | 1-0 | 0 | 0 | RV | -- | W 24-12 at Tulane |
| 2 | Sep 9 | NR | 2-0 | 0 | 0 | RV | -- | W 26-0 vs Howard |
| 3 | Sep 16 | RV | 3-0 | 19 | 0 | RV | -- | W 23-13 at South Florida |
| 4 | Sep 23 | 23 | 4-0 | 128 | 0 | 25 | -- | W 35-26 at Arkansas |
| 5 | Sep 30 | 22 | 4-0 | 160 | 0 | 21 | -- | DNP |
| 6 | Oct 7 | 20 | 5-0 | 331 | 0 | 19 | -- | W 19-3 vs Connecticut |
| 7 | Oct 14 | 19 | 6-0 | 405 | 0 | 17 | 15 | W 23-15 vs Syracuse |
| 8 | Oct 21 | 18 | 7-0 | 539 | 0 | 15 | 15 | W 35-10 at Temple |
| 9 | Oct 28 | RV | 7-1 | 74 | 0 | 25 | NR | L 35-23 vs Kent State |
| 10 | Nov 4 | 24 | 7-1 | 99 | 0 | 20 | 23 | DNP |
| 11 | Nov 11 | 22 | 8-1 | 179 | 0 | 20 | 22 | W 28-7 vs Army |
| 12 | Nov 18 | 21 | 9-1 | 265 | 0 | 19 | 18 | W 10-3 at Cincinnati |
| 13 | Nov 25 | RV | 9-2 | 50 | 0 | 25 | NR | L 27-6 at Pittsburgh |
| 14 | Dec 2 | RV | 9-3 | 6 | 0 | RV | NR | L 20-17 vs Louisville |
| Final | Jan 8 | NR | 9-4 | 0 | 0 | RV | -- | L 13-10 (1OT) vs Virginia Tech (Russell Athletic) |
Note: Rutgers' 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.