1961 NCAA College Division football season

1961 NCAA College Division football season
Champions	Pittsburg State (AP, UPI) Florida A&M (black)
College football seasons « 1960 1962 »

The 1961 NCAA College Division football season was the sixth season of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the NCAA College Division level.

Conference standings

1961 California Collegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T No. 3 AP / No. 5 UPI Fresno State $ 5 – 0 – 0     10 – 0 – 0 Cal Poly 3 – 2 – 0     4 – 4 – 0 San Diego State 2 – 2 – 1     7 – 2 – 1 Los Angeles State 2 – 2 – 1     4 – 4 – 1 Long Beach State 2 – 3 – 0     5 – 5 – 0 UC Santa Barbara 0 – 5 – 0     2 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from College Division poll	1961 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T North Carolina College $ 5 – 0 – 2     7 – 0 – 2 North Carolina A&T 5 – 1 – 0     5 – 4 – 0 Johnson C. Smith 6 – 1 – 0     8 – 1 – 0 Winston-Salem State 5 – 1 – 1     6 – 1 – 1 Maryland State 2 – 2 – 1     4 – 2 – 1 Delaware State 5 – 2 – 0     7 – 3 – 0 Virginia Union 4 – 3 – 1     5 – 3 – 1 Morgan State 5 – 4 – 0     5 – 4 – 0 Virginia State 3 – 4 – 1     3 – 4 – 1 Hampton 3 – 3 – 0     6 – 3 – 0 Elizabeth City State 3 – 4 – 0     4 – 4 – 0 St. Augustine's 3 – 5 – 0     4 – 5 – 0 Fayetteville State 2 – 4 – 0     3 – 6 – 0 Howard 1 – 5 – 0     1 – 8 – 0 Shaw 1 – 8 – 0     1 – 8 – 0 Saint Paul's (VA) 0 – 6 – 0     0 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1961 Central Intercollegiate Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T No. 1 Pittsburg State $^ 5 – 0 – 0     11 – 0 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Omaha]] 4 – 1 – 0     6 – 3 – 0 Fort Hays State 3 – 2 – 0     4 – 4 – 1 St. Benedict's 2 – 3 – 0     2 – 7 – 0 Emporia State 1 – 4 – 0     1 – 8 – 0 Washburn 0 – 5 – 0     3 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA playoff participant Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 College Conference of Illinois football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T No. 14 Millikin $ 6 – 0 – 0     8 – 0 – 0 Carroll (WI) 5 – 1 – 0     6 – 3 – 0 Carthage 4 – 2 – 0     7 – 2 – 0 North Central (IL) 3 – 3 – 0     5 – 4 – 0 Augustana (IL) 2 – 4 – 0     5 – 4 – 0 Illinois Wesleyan 1 – 5 – 0     2 – 7 – 0 Lake Forest 0 – 6 – 0     0 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA poll	1961 Far Western Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T No. 13/16 Humboldt State + 4 – 1 – 0     8 – 2 – 0 San Francisco State + 4 – 1 – 0     8 – 2 – 0 UC Davis 3 – 2 – 0     5 – 4 – 0 Nevada 2 – 3 – 0     5 – 4 – 0 Sacramento State 2 – 3 – 0     4 – 5 – 0 Chico State 0 – 5 – 0     4 – 6 – 0 + – Conference co-champions Rankings from NAIA poll and UPI small college poll	1961 Gulf States Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T No. 7 Southeastern Louisiana + 4 – 1 – 0     9 – 1 – 0 No. 10 McNeese State + 4 – 1 – 0     7 – 2 – 0 Northwestern State 3 – 2 – 0     7 – 3 – 0 Louisiana Tech 3 – 2 – 0     5 – 4 – 0 Northeast Louisiana State 1 – 4 – 0     3 – 7 – 0 Southwestern Louisiana 0 – 5 – 0     2 – 8 – 0 + – Conference co-champions Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Hoosier Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T Taylor + 4 – 1 – 0     8 – 1 – 0 Anderson (IN) + 4 – 1 – 0     4 – 4 – 0 Hanover 3 – 2 – 0     3 – 6 – 0 Indiana Central 2 – 3 – 0     4 – 5 – 0 Manchester (IN) 1 – 4 – 0     3 – 6 – 0 Franklin (IN) 1 – 4 – 0     1 – 8 – 0 + – Conference co-champions	1961 Indiana Collegiate Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T Butler $ 6 – 0 – 0     9 – 0 – 0 Valparaiso 5 – 1 – 0     7 – 2 – 0 Evansville 3 – 3 – 0     4 – 5 – 0 DePauw 2 – 4 – 0     5 – 4 – 0 Ball State 2 – 4 – 0     2 – 5 – 1 Indiana State 2 – 4 – 0     2 – 6 – 0 Saint Joseph's (IN) 1 – 5 – 0     1 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1961 Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T Southern Illinois $ 5 – 1 – 0     7 – 3 – 0 Western Illinois 4 – 2 – 0     5 – 3 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Illinois State Normal]] 4 – 2 – 0     5 – 4 – 0 Eastern Illinois 3 – 2 – 1     4 – 3 – 1 Northern Illinois 3 – 2 – 1     4 – 4 – 1 Central Michigan 1 – 5 – 0     2 – 8 – 0 Eastern Michigan 0 – 6 – 0     0 – 8 – 1 $ – Conference champion
1961 Iowa Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T No. 12 Parsons $ 8 – 0 – 0     9 – 0 – 0 Luther 6 – 2 – 0     6 – 3 – 0 Central (IA) 5 – 3 – 0     6 – 3 – 0 Upper Iowa 5 – 3 – 0     6 – 3 – 0 Dubuque 4 – 4 – 0     5 – 4 – 0 Buena Vista 3 – 5 – 0     4 – 5 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Iowa Wesleyan]] 3 – 5 – 0     3 – 7 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Wartburg]] 2 – 6 – 0     2 – 7 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Simpson]] 0 – 8 – 0     1 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA poll	1961 Lone Star Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T Sam Houston State $ 7 – 0 – 0     8 – 1 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Texas A&I]] 5 – 2 – 0     7 – 2 – 0 Lamar Tech 4 – 2 – 1     8 – 2 – 1 [[{{{school}}}|Howard Payne]] 4 – 3 – 0     4 – 5 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|East Texas State]] 3 – 4 – 0     4 – 6 – 0 Southwest Texas State 2 – 4 – 1     4 – 5 – 1 [[{{{school}}}|Sul Ross]] 1 – 6 – 0     3 – 7 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Stephen F. Austin]] 1 – 6 – 0     1 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1961 Mason–Dixon Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T [[{{{school}}}|Western Maryland]] $ 4 – 0 – 0     7 – 2 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Gallaudet]] * 1 – 0 – 0     1 – 6 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Johns Hopkins]] 1 – 1 – 0     3 – 4 – 1 [[{{{school}}}|Hampden–Sydney]] 2 – 2 – 0     3 – 6 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Randolph–Macon]] 1 – 2 – 0     4 – 5 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Bridgewater]] 0 – 4 – 0     0 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion * – Ineligible for title
1961 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T [[{{{school}}}|Albion]] $ 5 – 0 – 0     8 – 0 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Olivet]] 4 – 1 – 0     8 – 1 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Kalamazoo]] 3 – 2 – 0     4 – 4 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Alma]] 2 – 3 – 0     2 – 6 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Adrian]] 1 – 4 – 0     2 – 6 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Hope]] 0 – 5 – 0     0 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1961 Mid-American Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T Bowling Green $ 5 – 1 – 0     8 – 2 – 0 Western Michigan 4 – 1 – 1     5 – 4 – 1 Miami (OH) 3 – 2 – 0     6 – 4 – 0 Ohio 3 – 2 – 1     5 – 3 – 1 Toledo 2 – 4 – 0     3 – 7 – 0 Marshall 1 – 4 – 0     2 – 7 – 1 Kent State 1 – 5 – 0     2 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1961 Mid-Ohio League football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T [[{{{school}}}|Findlay]] $ 5 – 0 – 0     7 – 3 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Ohio Northern]] 4 – 1 – 0     6 – 3 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Bluffton]] 2 – 3 – 0     5 – 3 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Defiance]] 2 – 3 – 0     3 – 5 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Ashland]] 2 – 3 – 0     3 – 6 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Wilmington (OH)]] 0 – 5 – 0     0 – 8 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1961 Middle Atlantic Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T University No. 15 Rutgers x 4 – 0 – 0     9 – 0 – 0 Bucknell 5 – 2 – 0     6 – 3 – 0 Delaware 3 – 2 – 0     4 – 4 – 0 No. 5 Lehigh 3 – 2 – 0     7 – 2 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Gettysburg]] 2 – 2 – 1     3 – 5 – 1 Temple 1 – 2 – 2     2 – 5 – 2 Lafayette 1 – 5 – 1     2 – 6 – 1 [[{{{school}}}|Muhlenberg]] 0 – 4 – 0     2 – 7 – 0 College–Northern [[{{{school}}}|Susquehanna]] x 6 – 0 – 0     8 – 0 – 1 [[{{{school}}}|Albright]] 4 – 0 – 1     7 – 0 – 1 [[{{{school}}}|Moravian]] 4 – 1 – 1     4 – 3 – 1 [[{{{school}}}|Wagner]] 4 – 2 – 0     6 – 3 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Lycoming]] 1 – 3 – 1     1 – 6 – 1 [[{{{school}}}|Wilkes]] 1 – 6 – 0     1 – 6 – 0 Hofstra * 2 – 0 – 0     7 – 2 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Juniata]] * 1 – 2 – 0     3 – 4 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Upsala]] * 0 – 4 – 0     0 – 7 – 0 College–Southern [[{{{school}}}|Lebanon Valley]] x 5 – 1 – 0     6 – 1 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Swarthmore]] 4 – 2 – 0     5 – 2 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Western Maryland]] 4 – 2 – 0     7 – 2 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Dickinson]] 5 – 3 – 0     5 – 3 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Pennsylvania Military]] 5 – 3 – 0     6 – 3 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Johns Hopkins]] 2 – 3 – 1     3 – 4 – 1 [[{{{school}}}|Ursinus]] 2 – 5 – 0     2 – 5 – 0 Drexel 1 – 5 – 1     2 – 5 – 1 [[{{{school}}}|Haverford]] 0 – 6 – 1     0 – 6 – 1 [[{{{school}}}|West Chester]] * 0 – 0 – 0     7 – 2 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Franklin & Marshall]] * 0 – 3 – 0     1 – 7 – 0 x – Division champion/co-champions * – Ineligible for championship due to insufficient conference games Rankings from AP Poll	1961 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T No. 18 [[{{{school}}}|Minnesota–Duluth]] $ 7 – 0 – 0     8 – 1 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Saint John's (MN)]] 5 – 2 – 0     6 – 2 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|St. Thomas (MN)]] 5 – 2 – 0     6 – 3 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Macalester]] 4 – 3 – 0     6 – 3 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Augsburg]] 3 – 4 – 0     4 – 4 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Concordia (MN)]] 3 – 4 – 0     4 – 5 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Gustavus Adolphus]] 1 – 6 – 0     2 – 7 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Hamline]] 0 – 7 – 0     1 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA poll	1961 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T [[{{{school}}}|NE Missouri State]] $ 5 – 0 – 0     9 – 1 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|SE Missouri State]] 3 – 2 – 0     5 – 5 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Missouri–Rolla]] 3 – 2 – 0     4 – 5 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|SW Missouri State]] 2 – 3 – 0     4 – 4 – 1 [[{{{school}}}|Central Missouri State]] 2 – 3 – 0     3 – 5 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|NW Missouri State]] 0 – 5 – 0     2 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1961 North Central Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T South Dakota State + 5 – 1 – 0     8 – 2 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|State College of Iowa]] + 5 – 1 – 0     7 – 2 – 0 North Dakota 4 – 2 – 0     6 – 3 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Augustana (SD)]] 4 – 2 – 0     5 – 3 – 1 [[{{{school}}}|Morningside]] 2 – 4 – 0     3 – 6 – 0 North Dakota State 1 – 5 – 0     3 – 6 – 0 South Dakota 0 – 6 – 0     1 – 8 – 0 + – Conference co-champions	1961 Northern State College Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T [[{{{school}}}|Mankato State]] $ 5 – 0 – 0     6 – 3 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Moorhead State]] 3 – 2 – 0     5 – 4 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Bemidji State]] 3 – 2 – 0     3 – 6 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Winona State]] 2 – 2 – 1     4 – 3 – 1 [[{{{school}}}|Michigan Tech]] 1 – 4 – 0     1 – 6 – 1 [[{{{school}}}|St. Cloud State]] 0 – 4 – 1     1 – 6 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1961 Ohio Athletic Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T [[{{{school}}}|Wittenberg]] $ 6 – 0 – 0     8 – 1 – 0 Akron 6 – 1 – 0     6 – 2 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Oberlin]] 5 – 1 – 0     8 – 1 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Muskingum]] 5 – 1 – 0     7 – 2 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Capital]] 5 – 2 – 1     5 – 2 – 1 [[{{{school}}}|Wooster]] 5 – 3 – 0     6 – 3 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Ohio Wesleyan]] 4 – 3 – 0     6 – 3 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Kenyon]] 2 – 4 – 0     3 – 4 – 1 [[{{{school}}}|Mount Union]] 2 – 5 – 0     3 – 6 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Denison]] 2 – 6 – 0     3 – 6 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Heidelberg]] 1 – 4 – 1     1 – 7 – 1 [[{{{school}}}|Otterbein]] 1 – 5 – 0     2 – 5 – 1 [[{{{school}}}|Hiram]] 1 – 5 – 0     1 – 7 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Marietta]] 0 – 5 – 1     0 – 8 – 1 $ – Conference champion
1961 Ohio Valley Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T [[{{{school}}}|Tennessee Tech]] $ 6 – 0 – 0     7 – 3 – 0 Middle Tennessee 5 – 1 – 0     7 – 3 – 0 Western Kentucky 4 – 2 – 0     6 – 3 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Eastern Kentucky]] 3 – 3 – 0     4 – 5 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Murray State]] 2 – 4 – 0     4 – 6 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|East Tennessee State]] 1 – 5 – 0     3 – 7 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Morehead State]] 0 – 6 – 0     1 – 6 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1961 Pennsylvania State College Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T East Division No. 20 [[{{{school}}}|West Chester]] xy$ 4 – 0 – 0     7 – 2 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|East Stroudsburg]] 5 – 1 – 0     7 – 1 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Bloomsburg]] 2 – 2 – 0     4 – 4 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Millersville]] 2 – 3 – 0     5 – 3 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Mansfield]] 2 – 3 – 0     4 – 4 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Kutztown]] 2 – 3 – 0     2 – 6 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Cheyney]] 0 – 5 – 0     0 – 7 – 1 West Division [[{{{school}}}|Slippery Rock]] xy 4 – 1 – 0     6 – 3 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|California (PA)]] 4 – 1 – 1     5 – 2 – 1 [[{{{school}}}|Clarion]] 4 – 1 – 1     5 – 2 – 1 [[{{{school}}}|Lock Haven]] 2 – 2 – 1     5 – 2 – 2 [[{{{school}}}|Edinboro]] 1 – 3 – 1     3 – 4 – 1 [[{{{school}}}|Indiana (PA)]] 1 – 4 – 0     2 – 7 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Shippensburg]] 0 – 4 – 0     0 – 8 – 0 Championship: West Chester 21, Lock Haven 6 $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Edinboro forfeited to Clarion. Rankings from NAIA poll	1961 Presidents' Athletic Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T [[{{{school}}}|Allegheny]] $ 5 – 1 – 0     6 – 1 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|John Carroll]] 4 – 1 – 0     5 – 2 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Western Reserve]] 5 – 2 – 0     5 – 2 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Case Tech]] 4 – 2 – 0     4 – 3 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Bethany (WV)]] 2 – 4 – 0     2 – 5 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Thiel]] 2 – 4 – 0     2 – 4 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Wayne State (MI)]] 1 – 4 – 0     1 – 5 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Washington & Jefferson]] 0 – 5 – 0     0 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1961 Rocky Mountain Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T [[{{{school}}}|Adams State]] $ 4 – 0 – 0     8 – 2 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Colorado College]] 2 – 2 – 0     5 – 3 – 1 [[{{{school}}}|Western State (CO)]] 2 – 2 – 0     4 – 5 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Colorado Mines]] 2 – 2 – 0     3 – 6 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Colorado State–Greeley]] 0 – 4 – 0     1 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1961 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf Overall Team W   L   T W   L   T No. 4 [[{{{school}}}|Whittier]] $^ 4 – 0 – 0 9 – 1 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Redlands]] 3 – 1 – 0 6 – 4 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Occidental]] 2 – 2 – 0 6 – 3 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Pomona]] 1 – 3 – 0 5 – 4 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Claremont-Mudd]] 0 – 4 – 0 3 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion ^ – NAIA playoff participant Rankings from NAIA poll	1961 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T No. 5 Florida A&M $ 5 – 0 – 0     10 – 0 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Alabama A&M]] 5 – 0 – 0     8 – 1 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Allen]] 4 – 2 – 0     5 – 4 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Bethune–Cookman]] 5 – 2 – 0     5 – 3 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Morris Brown]] 4 – 2 – 0     5 – 4 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Fisk]] 4 – 2 – 0     5 – 4 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Tuskegee]] 4 – 1 – 1     4 – 4 – 1 [[{{{school}}}|Morehouse]] 3 – 3 – 0     4 – 4 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Clark (GA)]] 2 – 3 – 1     3 – 3 – 2 [[{{{school}}}|Lane]] 1 – 4 – 0     2 – 5 – 1 [[{{{school}}}|Benedict]] 2 – 4 – 0     2 – 7 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|South Carolina State]] 2 – 5 – 0     2 – 7 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Alabama State]] 1 – 5 – 0     1 – 7 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Knoxville]] 1 – 5 – 0     1 – 7 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Fort Valley State]] 0 – 5 – 0     0 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion Rankings from NAIA poll
1961 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T Jackson State $ 6 – 1 – 0     9 – 2 – 0 Grambling 5 – 2 – 0     8 – 2 – 0 Southern 5 – 2 – 0     7 – 3 – 0 Texas Southern 5 – 2 – 0     6 – 3 – 0 Prairie View A&M 3 – 4 – 0     5 – 4 – 1 Wiley 2 – 4 – 1     4 – 4 – 1 Arkansas AM&N 1 – 5 – 1     3 – 6 – 1 Texas College 0 – 7 – 0     0 – 9 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1961 West Penn Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T [[{{{school}}}|Westminster (PA)]] $ 4 – 1 – 0     6 – 2 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Grove City]] 2 – 0 – 0     5 – 4 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Waynesburg]] 2 – 2 – 0     6 – 2 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Saint Vincent]] 2 – 2 – 0     3 – 3 – 1 [[{{{school}}}|Geneva]] 1 – 2 – 0     4 – 4 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Carnegie Tech]] 0 – 4 – 0     1 – 7 – 0 $ – Conference champion	1961 Wisconsin State College Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T [[{{{school}}}|Stevens Point State]] $ 7 – 1 – 0     8 – 1 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|La Crosse State]] 5 – 1 – 0     5 – 3 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|River Falls State]] 4 – 2 – 0     5 – 4 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Whitewater State]] 3 – 3 – 0     6 – 3 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Superior State]] 2 – 3 – 1     3 – 4 – 2 [[{{{school}}}|Stout State]] 2 – 3 – 1     3 – 4 – 1 [[{{{school}}}|Eau Claire State]] 3 – 5 – 0     4 – 5 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Oshkosh State]] 2 – 4 – 0     2 – 4 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Milwaukee]] 2 – 4 – 0     2 – 6 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Platteville State]] 1 – 5 – 0     1 – 6 – 0 $ – Conference champion
1961 Yankee Conference football standings Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T Maine $ 5 – 0 – 0     8 – 0 – 1 UMass 3 – 1 – 0     5 – 4 – 0 Connecticut 2 – 2 – 0     2 – 7 – 0 New Hampshire 1 – 3 – 0     3 – 5 – 0 Rhode Island 1 – 4 – 0     2 – 6 – 1 Vermont 0 – 2 – 0     3 – 3 – 1 $ – Conference champion	1961 NCAA College Division independents football records Conf     Overall Team W   L   T     W   L   T [[{{{school}}}|Wheaton (IL)]]   –       8 – 0 – 0 Tampa   –       8 – 1 – 0 Mississippi Southern   –       8 – 2 – 0 Howard (AL)   –       7 – 2 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Southern Connecticut State]]   –       7 – 2 – 0 Arlington State   –       7 – 3 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Northern Michigan]]   –       6 – 2 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Sewanee]]   –       5 – 2 – 1 Cal Poly Pomona   –       6 – 3 – 0 Louisville   –       6 – 3 – 0 Montana State   –       4 – 3 – 1 [[{{{school}}}|Drake]]   –       5 – 4 – 0 Pacific (CA)   –       5 – 4 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Wabash]]   –       5 – 4 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Northeastern]]   –       4 – 4 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Santa Clara]]   –       3 – 3 – 0 Buffalo   –       4 – 5 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Norfolk State]]   –       3 – 4 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Abilene Christian]]   –       4 – 6 – 0 Chattanooga   –       4 – 6 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|North Park]]   –       3 – 5 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Union (NY)]]   –       3 – 5 – 0 Arkansas State   –       3 – 6 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Trinity (TX)]]   –       2 – 7 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Carnegie Tech]]   –       1 – 7 – 0 UC Riverside   –       1 – 7 – 0 Pepperdine   –       1 – 9 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Rose Poly]]   –       0 – 8 – 0 [[{{{school}}}|Washington University]]   –       0 – 9 – 0 Rankings from AP poll

Rankings

Small college poll

In 1961, both United Press International (UPI) and the Associated Press (AP) conducted "small college" polls. The number one selection of both wire services was the Pittsburg State Gorillas, who compiled a regular season record of 9–0 while outscoring opponents 299–25 and registering seven shutouts. The Gorillas went on to win two NAIA postseason games and finished 11–0 for the season.

United Press International (coaches) final poll
Published on November 22

Rank	School	Record	No. 1 votes	Total points
1	Pittsburg State	9–0	14	250
2	Baldwin–Wallace	8–0	1	179
3	Mississippi Southern	7–2	4	163
4	Southeastern Louisiana	9–1		148
5	Fresno State	9–0	8	147
6	Florida A&M	8–0		82
7	[[{{{school}}}|Wheaton (IL)]]	8–0		68
8	[[{{{school}}}|Whittier]]	9–0		59
9	Butler	9–0		56
10	[[{{{school}}}|Northern Michigan]]	6–2		55

Baldwin–Wallace was 9–0 when the poll was taken.

Associated Press (writers) final poll
Published on November 22

Rank	School	Record	No. 1 votes	Total points
1	Pittsburg State	9–0	5	70
2	Baldwin–Wallace	9–0		60
3	Fresno State	9–0		46
4	Florida A&M	8–0		42
T5	[[{{{school}}}|Whittier]]	9–0		34
T5	Lehigh	7–2		34
7	[[{{{school}}}|Linfield]]	9–0	1	26
8	Southeastern Louisiana	9–1		21
9	[[{{{school}}}|Lenoir–Rhyne]]	7–1–1	1	16
T10	Butler	9–0		13
T10	Mississippi Southern	7–2		13

See also

• 1961 NCAA University Division football season
• 1961 NAIA football season