I favor the use of the singular when the group functions as a unit and has a singular name. The football team has an average SAT score of 350. If the group has a plural noun for a name I use the plural: The Cincinnati Bengals are in last place. Then there's the phenomenon of a singular object expressed with a plural noun, such as pants or scissors. My pants are on fire and The scissors are on the table. I guess I just take the path of least resistance.