| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | CP | CFP | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre | Aug 20 | 10 | 0-0 | 1012 | 0 | 9 | -- | DNP |
| 1 | Sep 4 | 13 | 1-0 | 768 | 0 | 10 | -- | W 45-38 (1OT) vs Appalachian State |
| 2 | Sep 9 | 11 | 2-0 | 836 | 0 | 10 | -- | W 51-6 at Pittsburgh |
| 3 | Sep 16 | 10 | 3-0 | 947 | 0 | 9 | -- | W 63-10 vs Kent State |
| 4 | Sep 23 | 9 | 4-0 | 1001 | 0 | 9 | -- | W 63-24 at Illinois |
| 5 | Sep 30 | 11 | 4-1 | 920 | 0 | 11 | -- | L 27-26 vs #4 Ohio State |
| 6 | Oct 7 | 8 | 4-1 | 1097 | 0 | 8 | -- | DNP |
| 7 | Oct 14 | 18 | 4-2 | 523 | 0 | 16 | -- | L 21-17 vs Michigan State |
| 8 | Oct 21 | 17 | 5-2 | 528 | 0 | 16 | -- | W 33-28 at Indiana |
| 9 | Oct 28 | 14 | 6-2 | 733 | 0 | 13 | 14 | W 30-24 vs #18 Iowa |
| 10 | Nov 4 | 21 | 6-3 | 278 | 0 | 20 | 20 | L 42-7 at #5 Michigan |
| 11 | Nov 11 | 16 | 7-3 | 542 | 0 | 15 | 14 | W 22-10 vs Wisconsin |
| 12 | Nov 18 | 15 | 8-3 | 659 | 0 | 14 | 12 | W 20-7 at Rutgers |
| 13 | Nov 25 | 14 | 9-3 | 751 | 0 | 12 | 12 | W 38-3 vs Maryland |
| 14 | Dec 2 | 13 | 9-3 | 773 | 0 | 12 | 12 | DNP |
| Final | Jan 8 | 17 | 9-4 | 492 | 0 | 17 | -- | L 27-24 vs #16 Kentucky (Citrus) |
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.