| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | CP | CFP | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 2 | RV | 1-0 | 6 | 0 | RV | -- | W 41-38 at Washington State |
| 2 | Sep 7 | NR | 2-0 | 0 | 0 | RV | -- | W 38-25 vs Howard |
| 6 | Oct 5 | RV | 5-1 | 4 | 0 | RV | -- | W 26-24 vs Rutgers |
| 7 | Oct 12 | RV | 5-1 | 7 | 0 | RV | -- | DNP |
| Final | Jan 13 | NR | 8-5 | 0 | 0 | RV | -- | W 40-21 vs North Carolina (Quick Lane) |
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.