| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | CP | CFP | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre | Aug 12 | NR | 0 | 0 | RV | -- | DNP | |
| 1 | Sep 3 | NR | 0 | 0 | RV | -- | W 38-22 vs Ohio | |
| 2 | Sep 8 | RV | 63 | 0 | RV | -- | W 31-28 vs #23 Georgia Tech | |
| 3 | Sep 15 | RV | 62 | 0 | RV | -- | DNP | |
| 6 | Oct 6 | RV | 6 | 0 | RV | -- | W 44-41 (1OT) at #25 UNLV | |
| 7 | Oct 13 | RV | 13 | 0 | RV | -- | W 24-17 at NC State | |
| 8 | Oct 20 | RV | 15 | 0 | RV | -- | DNP | |
| 10 | Nov 3 | NR | 0 | 0 | RV | NR | W 38-31 (1OT) vs Virginia Tech | |
| 12 | Nov 17 | RV | 21 | 0 | RV | NR | W 33-25 at California | |
| 13 | Nov 24 | RV | 37 | 0 | RV | NR | W 31-24 vs Connecticut | |
| 14 | Dec 1 | 23 | 9-3 | 206 | 0 | 25 | 22 | W 42-38 vs #8 Miami (FL) |
| 15 | Dec 8 | 22 | 9-3 | 234 | 0 | 25 | 21 | DNP |
| Final | Jan 21 | 20 | 10-3 | 320 | 0 | 22 | -- | W 52-35 vs Washington State (Holiday Bowl) |
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.