| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | CP | CFP | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 6 | NR | 0 | 0 | RV | -- | W 31-7 vs Louisville | |
| 2 | Sep 11 | NR | 0 | 0 | RV | -- | W 48-14 at Connecticut | |
| 3 | Sep 18 | RV | 7 | 0 | RV | -- | W 32-29 vs Purdue | |
| 4 | Sep 25 | RV | 22 | 0 | 25 | -- | W 22-20 vs Virginia | |
| 5 | Oct 2 | 22 | 5-0 | 173 | 0 | 21 | -- | W 59-0 vs Wagner |
| 6 | Oct 9 | 18 | 5-0 | 393 | 0 | 18 | -- | DNP |
| 7 | Oct 16 | 14 | 6-0 | 751 | 0 | 14 | -- | W 24-9 vs #15 NC State |
| 8 | Oct 23 | 16 | 6-1 | 626 | 0 | 16 | -- | L 27-21 at #5 Clemson |
| 9 | Oct 30 | 22 | 6-2 | 205 | 0 | 22 | 20 | L 41-24 vs Notre Dame |
| 10 | Nov 6 | NR | 0 | 0 | RV | NR | L 19-9 at Pittsburgh |
Note: Syracuse'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.