| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | CP | CFP | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre | Aug 23 | 24 | 0-0 | 219 | 0 | 23 | -- | DNP |
| 1 | Sep 8 | 21 | 1-0 | 274 | 0 | 21 | -- | W 34-3 vs Southeast Missouri State |
| 2 | Sep 13 | 22 | 2-0 | 264 | 0 | 20 | -- | W 27-20 at Arkansas State |
| 3 | Sep 20 | 25 | 3-0 | 135 | 0 | 23 | -- | W 9-6 vs Connecticut |
| 4 | Sep 27 | NR | 3-1 | 0 | 0 | RV | -- | L 21-13 at Kentucky |
| 5 | Oct 4 | RV | 4-1 | 1 | 0 | RV | -- | W 24-10 vs South Carolina |
Note: Missouri'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.