The next two weeks will be critical for Jake Coker and David Cornwell as Alabama settles on a starting quarterback for the 2015 season.

The Crimson Tide plans to slant practice reps toward those two — much more heavily — starting next week.

“We started with five, gave everybody an opportunity all summer long,” coach Nick Saban said on SportsCenter, according to 247Sports. “We’ve tried to continue that in camp, but I think as time goes on, we’re making an evaluation each and every day.

“We’re going to start tilting the reps toward the guys we feel have the best opportunity to win the job. At the first scrimmage, we’re going to give everybody an opportunity to see how they get it done in live bullets. That’s something we’ll really evaluate this Saturday.”

Alabama’s first scrimmage — each team is allowed three during the fall practice sessions — will begin at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday. Based on Saban’s comments, it will be crucial in narrowing the quarterback competition, likely to two players.

During media availability, Coker has taken reps at the front of the quarterback line. Sometimes the position group splits into two lines, and Cornwell leads the other line.

Blake Barnett, a five-star freshman, has produced some buzz even after beginning to practice with the Tide. But he’s listed at 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds. Most expect he’ll redshirt, needing a year to add some weight and absorb the playbook.

Saban consistently has insisted he’ll start the player who gives the team the best chance to win, regardless of eligibility. Coker is in his final year, while Cornwell or Barnett potentially could start for four seasons.

The Alabama coach, like everyone else, tends to put more stock into a quarterback’s performance in competitive scrimmages rather than evaluating a player’s release and accuracy while throwing to receivers “against air” in practice.

“I don’t think there’s any question that some guys do much better when they’re on their own,” Saban said Friday on ESPN, again according to 247Sports. “They have a competitive capacity.

“I think Blake Sims was a lot like that. There were times in practice when he struggled to do exactly what you wanted him to do and how you wanted him to do it. But when the lights went on, because he was such an instinctive guy, he made a lot of plays. Sometimes, they weren’t exactly like you drew them up, but he executed the offense, and players had confidence in him.”

Whether Coker or Cornwell starts for the Tide on Sept. 5 against Wisconsin, expect the second and third scrimmages to be a major factor in the decision. But the team should formalize what everyone already believes after Saturday’s first scrimmage — the competition is between those two players.