| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | CP | CFP | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Oct 25 | RV | 1-0 | 8 | 0 | RV | -- | W 24-20 vs Iowa |
| 8 | Nov 1 | RV | 2-0 | 15 | 0 | RV | -- | W 31-24 at Illinois |
| 9 | Nov 8 | RV | 2-0 | 8 | 0 | RV | -- | DNP |
| 10 | Nov 15 | NR | 2-1 | 0 | 0 | RV | -- | L 27-20 vs #23 Northwestern |
| 11 | Nov 22 | NR | 2-2 | 0 | 0 | NR | NR | L 34-31 at Minnesota |
Note: Purdue'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.