# 1961 major college football rankings

Two human polls comprised the 1961 major college football rankings. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a national championship, instead that title is bestowed by one or more different polling agencies. There are two main weekly polls that begin in the preseason—the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll.

## Legend

| | Increase in ranking |
| | Decrease in ranking |
| | Not ranked previous week |
| | National champion |
| (#–#) | Win–loss record |
| (Italics) | Number of first place votes |
| т | Tied with team above or below also with this symbol |

## AP poll

The final AP poll was released on December 5, at the end of the regular season, weeks before the bowls. Starting in the 1961 season and until the 1967 season, the AP poll ranked only 10 teams.
| | Preseason Aug | Week 1 Sep 25 | Week 2 Oct 2 | Week 3 Oct 9 | Week 4 Oct 16 | Week 5 Oct 23 | Week 6 Oct 30 | Week 7 Nov 6 | Week 8 Nov 13 | Week 9 Nov 20 | Week 10 Nov 27 | Week 11 (Final) Dec 5 | |
| 1. | Iowa (22) | Iowa (0–0) (19) | Iowa (1–0) (24) | Ole Miss (3–0) (24) | Michigan State (3–0) (16) | Michigan State (4–0) (29) | Michigan State (5–0) (31) | Texas (7–0) (35) | Texas (8–0) (41) | Alabama (9–0) (39) | Alabama (9–0) (26) | Alabama (10–0) (26) | 1. |
| 2. | Ohio State (15) | Ole Miss (1–0) (12) | Ole Miss (2–0) (16) | Iowa (2–0) (11) | Ole Miss (4–0) (21) | Ole Miss (5–0) (11) | Ole Miss (6–0) (8) | Alabama (7–0) (6) | Alabama (8–0) (3) | Ohio State (7–0–1) (6) | Ohio State (8–0–1) (21) | Ohio State (8–0–1) (20) | 2. |
| 3. | Alabama (3) | Ohio State (0–0) (7) | Georgia Tech (2–0) (7) | Alabama (3–0) (4) | Texas (4–0) (2) | Texas (5–0) (3) | Texas (6–0) (6) | Ohio State (5–0–1) (7) | Ohio State (6–0–1) (2) | Minnesota (7–1) (2) | LSU (9–1) (1) | Texas (9–1) | 3. |
| 4. | Texas (1) | Alabama (1–0) (6) | Alabama (2–0) (1) | Texas (3–0) (3) | Iowa (3–0) (2) | Alabama (5–0) (4) | Alabama (6–0) (2) | LSU (6–1) | LSU (7–1) (1) | LSU (8–1) (1) | Texas (9–1) | LSU (9–1) (1) | 4. |
| 5. | LSU | Syracuse (1–0) | Texas (2–0) (2) | Michigan State (2–0) (2) | Alabama (4–0) (4) | Iowa (4–0) (1) | Ohio State (4–0–1) | Minnesota (5–1) | Minnesota (6–1) | Texas (8–1) | Ole Miss (8–1) (1) | Ole Miss (9–1) (1) | 5. |
| 6. | Michigan State | Texas (1–0) (1) | Michigan State (1–0) (1) | Michigan (2–0) (2) | Notre Dame (3–0) (1) | Ohio State (3–0–1) | LSU (5–1) | Michigan State (5–1) | Ole Miss (7–1) | Ole Miss (8–1) (1) | Colorado (8–1) | Minnesota (7–2) | 6. |
| 7. | Penn State (1) | Rice (0–0) (2) | Syracuse (2–0) | Ohio State (1–0–1) | Ohio State (2–0–1) (1) | LSU (4–1) | Georgia Tech (5–1) | Ole Miss (6–1) | Purdue (5–2) | Colorado (7–1) | Minnesota (7–2) | Colorado (9–1) | 7. |
| 8. | Kansas (1) | Penn State (1–0) (2) | Ohio State (0–0–1) | Notre Dame (2–0) (1) | Georgia Tech (3–1) | Notre Dame (3–1) | Colorado (5–0) | Colorado (6–0) | Colorado (6–1) | Michigan State (6–2) | Michigan State (7–2) | Michigan State (7–2) | 8. |
| 9. | Ole Miss (2) | UCLA (1–0) | Michigan (1–0) | Baylor (2–0) | Colorado (3–0) | Georgia Tech (4–1) | Iowa (4–1) | Georgia Tech (6–1) | Michigan State (5–2) | Arkansas (7–2) | Arkansas (8–2) | Arkansas (8–2) | 9. |
| 10. | Syracuse | Michigan State (0–0) | Baylor (1–0) | Maryland (3–0) | Arkansas (3–1) т | Colorado (4–0) | Missouri (5–0–1) | Missouri (5–1–1) | Syracuse (6–2) | Kansas (6–2–1) | Missouri (7–2–1) | Utah State (9–0–1) | 10. |
| | Preseason Aug | Week 1 Sep 25 | Week 2 Oct 2 | Week 3 Oct 9 | Week 4 Oct 16 | Week 5 Oct 23 | Week 6 Oct 30 | Week 7 Nov 6 | Week 8 Nov 13 | Week 9 Nov 20 | Week 10 Nov 27 | Week 11 (Final) Dec 5 | |
| | | Dropped: KansasLSU | Dropped: UCLAPenn StateRice | Dropped: Georgia TechSyracuse | Dropped: BaylorMarylandMichigan | Dropped: Arkansas | Dropped: Notre Dame | Dropped: Iowa | Dropped: Georgia TechMissouri | Dropped: PurdueSyracuse | Dropped: Kansas | Dropped: Missouri | |

## Final Coaches Poll

The final UPI Coaches Poll was released prior to the bowl games, on December 5. Alabama received 18 of the 35 first-place votes; Ohio State received fifteen, Ole Miss one, and Colorado one.
| Ranking | Team | Conference | Bowl |
| 1 | Alabama | SEC | Won Sugar, 10–3 |
| 2 | Ohio State | Big Ten | none |
| 3 | LSU | SEC | Won Orange, 25–7 |
| 4 | Texas | Southwest | Won Cotton, 12–7 |
| 5 | Ole Miss | SEC | Lost Cotton, 7–12 |
| 6 | Minnesota | Big Ten | Won Rose, 21–3 |
| 7 | Colorado | Big Eight | Lost Orange, 7–25 |
| 8 | Arkansas | Southwest | Lost Sugar, 3–10 |
| 9 | Michigan State | Big Ten | none |
| 10 | Utah State | Skyline | Lost Gotham, 9–24 |
| 11 | Purdue | Big Ten | none |
| 11 | Missouri | Big Eight | none |
| 13 | Georgia Tech | SEC | Lost Gator, 15–30 |
| 14 | Duke | ACC | none |
| 15 | Kansas | Big Eight | Won Bluebonnet, 33–7 |
| 16 | Syracuse | Independent | Won Liberty, 15–14 |
| 17 | Wyoming | Skyline | none |
| 18 | Wisconsin | Big Ten | none |
| 19 | Miami (FL) | Independent | Lost Liberty, 14–15 |
| 19 | Penn State | Independent | Won Gator, 30–15 |
* Prior to the 1975 season, the Big Ten and AAWU (later Pac-8) conferences allowed only one postseason participant each, for the Rose Bowl.
* The Ivy League has prohibited its members from participating in postseason football since the league was officially formed in 1954.