| Week | Date | Rank | Rec | Points | FPV | CP | BCS | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Oct 7 | RV | 4-2 | 1 | 0 | NR | -- | W 39-28 vs #24 Northwestern |
| 7 | Oct 14 | RV | 4-2 | 1 | 0 | NR | NR | DNP |
| 8 | Oct 21 | RV | 5-2 | 18 | 0 | NR | NR | W 38-14 at Iowa |
| 10 | Nov 4 | RV | 6-3 | 8 | 0 | NR | NR | W 34-9 at Purdue |
| 13 | Nov 25 | RV | 8-4 | 61 | 0 | NR | NR | W 24-21 (1OT) vs Wisconsin |
| 14 | Dec 2 | RV | 8-4 | 83 | 0 | NR | NR | DNP |
| Final | Jan 8 | RV | 8-4 | 90 | 0 | NR | -- | DNP |
Note: Penn State'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.