| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | CP | CFP | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre | Aug 23 | RV | 0-0 | 20 | 0 | RV | -- | DNP |
| 4 | Sep 27 | NR | 3-1 | 0 | 0 | NR | -- | W 37-21 vs San Diego State |
| 5 | Oct 4 | NR | 4-1 | 0 | 0 | NR | -- | W 20-14 vs Army |
| 6 | Oct 11 | RV | 5-1 | 4 | 0 | RV | -- | W 29-7 vs Indiana |
| 9 | Nov 1 | RV | 7-2 | 5 | 0 | RV | NR | W 39-0 vs Illinois |
| 11 | Nov 15 | NR | 7-3 | 0 | 0 | NR | NR | DNP |
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.