1961 AP Rankings
| Final Poll For 1961 Season |
| Rank |
Team |
Record |
Votes |
| 1961 AP |
| 1 | Alabama | 10-0-0 | | | 2 | Ohio State | 8-0-1 | |
| 3 | Texas | 9-1-0 | | | 4 | Louisiana State | 9-1-0 | |
| 5 | Mississippi | 9-1-0 | | | 6 | Minnesota | 7-2-0 | |
| 7 | Colorado | 9-1-0 | | | 8 | Michigan State | 7-2-0 | |
| 9 | Arkansas | 8-2-0 | | | 10 | Utah State | 9-0-1 | |
| 11 | Missouri | 7-2-1 | | | 12 | Purdue | 6-3-0 | |
| 13 | Georgia Tech | 7-3-0 | | | 14 | Syracuse | 7-3-0 | |
| 15 | Rutgers | 9-0-0 | | | 16 | UCLA | 7-3-0 | |
| 17 | Rice | 7-3-0 | | | 17 | Penn State | 7-3-0 | |
| 17 | Arizona | 8-1-1 | | | 20 | Duke | 7-3-0 | |
|
Great Moments in College Football History
Notre Dame has the most players in the College Football Hall of Fame.
