The reason the CFP semis will be on NYE is the Rose and Sugar bowls have contracts stipulating their games begin at 5 and 8:30 on NYD. Those contracts predate the playoff by a few months. It's not ideal for sure, but I think it will be fine. Fans will adjust. People on the West Coast (1 p.m. semifinal) might not agree. As for the quarterfinal thing, there's no way they'd wait all the way to NYD to play them. When the playoff goes to 8 (or 6, or whatever), I imagine they'll have the quarterfinals around the time the first bowls are currently.