| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | CP | CFP | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre | Aug 19 | NR | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | RV | -- | DNP |
| 3 | Sep 15 | NR | 2-1 | 0 | 0 | RV | -- | W 41-18 at Middle Tennessee |
| 4 | Sep 22 | NR | 2-1 | 0 | 0 | RV | -- | DNP |
| 5 | Sep 29 | NR | 3-1 | 0 | 0 | RV | -- | W 45-10 at Virginia Tech |
| 7 | Oct 13 | NR | 4-2 | 0 | 0 | RV | -- | W 41-23 vs Georgia Tech |
Note: Duke'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.