1961 UPI Rankings
| Final Poll For 1961 Season |
| Rank |
Team |
Record |
Votes |
| 1961 UPI |
| 1 | Alabama | 10-0-0 | | | 2 | Ohio State | 8-0-1 | |
| 3 | Louisiana State | 9-1-0 | | | 4 | Texas | 9-1-0 | |
| 5 | Mississippi | 9-1-0 | | | 6 | Minnesota | 7-2-0 | |
| 7 | Colorado | 9-1-0 | | | 8 | Arkansas | 8-2-0 | |
| 9 | Michigan State | 7-2-0 | | | 10 | Utah State | 9-0-1 | |
| 11 | Purdue | 6-3-0 | | | 11 | Missouri | 7-2-1 | |
| 13 | Georgia Tech | 7-3-0 | | | 14 | Duke | 7-3-0 | |
| 15 | Kansas | 6-3-1 | | | 16 | Syracuse | 7-3-0 | |
| 17 | Wyoming | 6-1-2 | | | 18 | Wisconsin | 6-3-0 | |
| 19 | Penn State | 7-3-0 | | | 19 | Miami | 7-3-0 | |
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Great Moments in College Football History
The oldest college football bowl game is the Rose Bowl, which was first played in 1902.